Chapter 479: One Slap Makes No Sound

"Reflect properly, and don't come again."

"Understood."

Outside the tri‑service Military Police office building in the Security Zone, Zhao Haishen, just released, was standing.

Earlier, he had been locked up for three days for drinking on a workday and illegally entering an entertainment venue.

Because he admitted his mistake with a good attitude, the term was reduced to two days, and he was released early from the detention cell.

Standing downstairs, looking at the sky above, he felt an absurd, extreme sense of grievance.

That feeling had never arisen before he met that kid Lu Yang.

"Chief of Staff, get in."

At that moment, Lao Mao stopped his car in front, and Zhao Haishen opened the door and got in.

"Did you investigate thoroughly?"

"Hmm, we found out it was a guy named Zhang Jiaheng, nicknamed 'Plane Brother', who called in a real‑name report against you."

"Zhang Jiaheng??"

Zhao Haishen frowned.

He didn't know the person, nor understood the motive; most likely it was an unrelated individual pushed forward by Zheng Chengfeng.

Lao Mao added, "After this kid reported you, the Military Police directly recruited him; he used to be a Military Police in the Army, but after a mistake he was dismissed and sent to Iron Foot, which is the company where Lu Yang serves."

Zhao Haishen's face darkened: "Is this using me as a stepping‑stone for a job?"

Lao Mao said nothing; he truly had never seen someone look for a job this way.

Zhao Haishen then asked, "How's the Battalion Commander lately?"

"Not bad. This morning Bai Yuan's training made a breakthrough, and he's quite pleased."

"Good then."

"Chief of Staff, there's a question I'm not sure I should ask: you, as a veteran, pull out tactics at will—how do you keep stumbling repeatedly?"

"What do you think Zheng Chengfeng is, a cheap lamp?"

Zhao Haishen snorted coldly: "He's not that capable, yet he was assigned to the Army's elite selection, acting as brigade commander of the Third Brigade, and can persuade the Second Brigade folks to willingly pull money from their pockets to fund their development?"

Lao Mao gave an awkward smile: "I guess you could say that, he's indeed quite capable."

Zhao Haishen pressed his forehead: "Zheng Chengfeng alone is already hard to handle, and add Lu Yang's rotten guts; the two coordinate flawlessly, making them unstoppable. I'm fighting alone—how could I avoid getting caught?"

"Enough, I won't continue; just remember one thing—don't give Lu Yang and his crew a chance to grow. Even if the odds are minuscule, stay vigilant."

"Resources and funding are limited; the Southern Navy can only field one Special Forces unit. If they rise, they'll have to take a share of our provisions."

Lao Mao smiled indifferently: "Chief of Staff, I think you're overthinking this; Lu Yang has only been training for a little over two months, and what he's learned is just surface level. He can't possibly grasp the truly profound tactical theories and techniques."

Zhao Haishen shook his head: "That kid is extremely unorthodox; I've never seen a soldier like him—gifted, slick, and combined with the cunning, treacherous Zheng Chengfeng. Not afraid of ten thousand, but fears the one in ten thousand."

"Got it. If we meet later, I'll give him a proper coloring."

"Not give them a coloring."

"Hm?"

"I want you—or Bai Yuan, either works—to go all‑out against them on the battlefield until the last soldier is eliminated!"

Zhao Haishen squinted, watching his slightly disheveled reflection in the rearview mirror, and said angrily: "Beat them until they collapse, torture them into questioning their lives, beat them so they cry 'Mom!'"

Lao Mao glanced sideways at the murderous Chief of Staff, and silently sweated for Lu Yang's unit.

Offending Zhao Haishen, especially to the death, means the coming days are unlikely to be easy.

One should know Zhao Haishen's codename is "Blue Ring Octopus"; being tangled by such a deadly marine creature spells predictable consequences.

He sighed, thinking, "Lu Yang, Lu Yang, your good days are probably over; the Chief of Staff holds grudges deeply, not as easy to talk to as me and Bai Yuan."

"Report."

Back at Jiaolong Base, Zhao Haishen immediately sought the Battalion Commander to report.

He pushed the door open; Hou Yi was on the phone, looking in a bad mood.

After hanging up, Hou Yi pounded the table, angrily pointing at him: "Zhao Haishen, you still have the nerve to come back? Wasn't the Night Tiger incident your doing!"

Zhao Haishen was about to admit fault when he abruptly braked: "What? What Night…?"

"Wasn't the seizure of the Sea Night Tiger Reconnaissance Battalion's camp area planned by you?"

"How should I know?"

"Pretend? You're still pretending?"

Hou Yi, furious, said, "Zheng Chengfeng just now was on the phone accusing you, saying it was you!"

Zhao Haishen was stunned: "It really wasn't me; I don't even know what's going on!"

"Shut up!"

"I tell you, are you bored to death every day? The base is swamped with work, yet you keep running out?"

"The Third Brigade's preparation has nothing to do with you, yet you're jumping all over it; even if the higher‑ups intend to form a new Special Operations unit, does Lu Yang, with just over two months of training, have that capability?"

"You're getting all worked up over nothing, doing these petty moves. Can you show some real skill and give them a solid blow on the training ground?"

Zhao Haishen, frantic, kept explaining: "Battalion Commander, I truly don't know what's happening. These past days I've been writing self‑criticisms in the Security Zone detention cell; how could I have had that opportunity?"

Hou Yi didn't believe it: "Everyone says they have solid evidence!"

"That's slander!"

"Then why doesn't he slander me, and only picks on you?"

Zhao Haishen was left speechless.

Hou Yi clapped hard: "One slap makes no sound; you have no issue, they've always been targeting you, haven't they, just because you keep sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"I already told you, the equipment that's been sent out is gone, considered support for unit development. Why are you still watching it?"

Oh, you can't even take a tiny loss and try to save face? Back on the battlefield we took the enemy's loss, yet we never saw you trying to win the whole field back?

Zhao Haishen, you're forty, not a child. Can you be steadier, more mature? You're always fixated on these trivial matters—aren't you tired?

From now on, cut it out. If something like this happens again, Chief of Staff, you might as well stop working!

Zhao Haishen was filled with grief and anger, unable to utter a word in his defense.

He, who toys with tactics and spends every day figuring out how to outwit others, was repeatedly outmaneuvered.

At that moment, he even felt an urge to smash his head against a wall to prove his innocence.

Zheng Chengfeng, you're ruthless; and Lu Yang, you two are cut from the same cloth, always picking on this honest man!

If we meet again in drills and I don't turn you into dog crap, I'll write my three characters, Zhao Haishen, backwards!

Yang, Brother Yang, a world wonder, a world wonder!

In the new barracks, during a big cleanup, several soldiers sprinted out of the restroom, rushing urgently to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang was squatting on the ground, pulling weeds with Zhou Kaidong and the others, and turned his head to the few wearing gas masks, his face full of questions.

Chen Panpan ripped off her mask, panting: "Brother Yang, you, you come with me to the restroom, come see!"

Lu Yang, bewildered, asked: "What's there to see in the restroom?"

"The restroom is full of feces!"

"Nonsense, it's not feces—could there be gold?"

Zhou Kaidong also laughed and cursed.

Chen Panpan shook her head vigorously, saying "different, different," then dragged Lu Yang toward the restroom.

Lu Yang was completely stumped; for someone his size, could he really have never seen poop?

But when he entered the dry toilet and saw scene after scene inside, he was utterly shocked.

It truly was a world wonder; calling it the eighth great miracle wouldn't be an overstatement!

"This damn thing is like stalactites—how the hell did those people pull it out? A stacking game? How could they pull so much?"

"How do we handle this?"

"Knock it down!"

"It'll block, right?"

"If it blocks, won't we dig it out?"

"What to use? We just looked and there's no dung scoop."

"Little yellow basin!"

"Ah, whose is it?"

"Anyway, don't use mine; whoever wants to use theirs, they can; the back kitchen's not allowed; I need to knead dough tonight, I don't want E. coli to go over the limit!"